Hey Rick, Iâ€™m a big fan of your work and I was just sitting around trying to come up with ideas for my creative writing classes when I started to think about your comic. What interested me was the idea of how I could rationalize the characters and the society that they live in. What I ended up doing was writing a series of newspaper articles based on my interpretation of your world. A short example would be:

Head line â€“ Entertainment has gone to the dogs

With children under 16 having strict regulations about healthy food, major restrictions on toys during the school year, TV consumption, and receiving only small government allowances, there has been a major change in who buys what in our nation today. The corporations most affected by this shift are the ones aimed at child and teen marketing such as movies, television, toys, books and fast food.

Today there are over 30 million super pets living within North America. With increasing frequency over the last decade, marketing has swung further towards super pets and away from actual children and teens. Professor Mark Fillim said in his recent lecture, Toys for Toys, â€œWith their own children disallowed by the constitution to benefit from their success, people are lavishing an endless stream of gifts and toys onto their pets. A recent study shows that many parents have a deeper understanding of the lives of their super pets then they do their own children.â€ Local mother Amanda Leeman had this to say when interviewed about Professor Fillimâ€™s remarks, â€œI just never see my sons anymore. I donâ€™t even know who they are when they come home. They donâ€™t need me anymore is all, and theyâ€™re eager to make it on their own. I understand. I remember how much pride I took at being able to stand alone at that age. Everyone needs to start with the same chances and you canâ€™t have that if your parents are trying to baby you. But my boy Jake (an 8 year old G/R dog type 5th generation model super pet) and my girl Alicia (a 14 year old large cat type A modified, 4th generation super pet) are going to need me forever; Iâ€™m always going to be their mommy.â€

Headline -The De-commodified Masses and The Rise of The Super Pet.

â€¦As newer advancements bring these quazi-animals closer to human level intelligence, the closer we seem to be coming to a strange renaissance of sorts. Every year we see new super pet artists. Custom models with IQâ€™s above 100, modified vocal cords, more versatile hands, and creativity enhancements in their brains which make them more susceptible to marketing but also more receptive to music and art. A recent ad for the 6th generation Aigio super pet added these traits as key selling points, â€œSuperior genetic alteration â€“ Patented Lemur4dex full function duel purpose hands â€“altered shoulder bone structure â€“ full color humanoid eyes â€“ variable life span - altered skull, tongue, nasal passages, vocal cords, mouth and lip structures. Comes is eight distinct species and over three hundred breeds. Guaranteed for 5 years or your money back. Complete with fully customizable coat color and exterior patterns. All this for custom order at $2999.99 after tax.â€

Over the last decade marketing has shifted to take into account the super pet demographic. Organizations like McDonalds sidelined their mascot of ___ years, Ronald McDonald in certain states with high concentrations of super pets and replaced them with an all animal cast. This includes the dog with red and white spots, Eddy McDonald, seen in commercials as Ronaldâ€™s super pet companion. This year alone, two thirds of the movies aimed at PG audiences has had a super pet playing as a lead or secondary role. Of the top 100 most popular actors today as surveyed by Time magazine, only 85 of them were human.

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The questions that came to my mind about the world youâ€™ve created were, â€˜Where are the children?â€™, â€˜How can animals talk?â€™, â€˜What rights and freedoms are denied to pets regardless of their sentience?â€™ The scenario I came up with was a society where having children is difficult or restricted in some way. In this society people have modified pets to be child like in order to fill a need for those who want children but canâ€™t have them (think David from the movie AI). Anyway, I realize that to a certain extent the pets in your world are a sort of metaphor and that they donâ€™t need a concrete explanation in real world terms; other then that they are from an alternate universe. This is just my own interpretation of the world seen in a more science fiction-ish light. I also realized that it is way over thought. Anyway, Iâ€™m going to take my work to plenary tomorrow and get some feed back. Just thought I should write to say that I was inspired by your comic. Thanks ;D

The best part of being a creator is not seeing fan-derived works, but highly detailed fan-derived works. Great job!

Considering you've come to the same sci-fi conclusion as Brittles, this is probably a sign that I need to introduce some more world setting things that I have had in mind to throw everyone for a loop. (Additionally, I need to find a way to bring in children, because the only reason I haven't introduced any is because I can't settle on a way to do it without showing their faces.)

_________________I'm sure the cold hand of science will be able to overcome his magical powers

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